Hollande And Iran Blocking French FM in Israel

Hollande makes first visit to Israel as president Sunday to sign cooperation agreements, accompanied by FM Fabius who blocked Iran deal.

Ari Yashar, 15/11/13 08:06

French President Francois Hollande

AFP photo

French President Francois Hollande will make his first visit to Israel as President on Sunday, accompanied by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius who reportedly stopped the Iranian nuclear talks last weekend in Geneva by demanding more verifiable guarantees against the nuclear program.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stressed the timing of the visit around the Iran nuclear talks, saying he looked forward to hosting Hollande and his team "including...Fabius, who is taking an active and important part in the current talks by the major powers."

Hollande is to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum on Sunday.

That evening bilateral cooperation agreements are to be signed at a meeting between the French president and Netanyahu to further cooperation on areas of strategic importance and to strengthen economic, scientific and cultural ties.

Then on Monday, after visiting members of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hollande is to address a special session of the Knesset.

The decision to talk at the Knesset comes after initial reports that Hollande intended to snub the Israeli parliament and talk in front of students instead. The initial intention caused a minor falling out at the time.

To finish his visit on Tuesday, Hollande is to lay stones on the graves of victims of the March 2012 Toulouse terror attack on a Jewish school.